Thinking about flushing your live goldfish? Don't do it

Abigail Rosenthal, GateHouse Media

Wednesday

Jun 26, 2019 at 11:12 AM

Remember that picture book called "A Fish Out of Water" by Helen Palmer, where Otto the goldfish outgrows every vessel he's put in until he's bigger than the local swimming pool? Yeah, turns out it might not be that far from the truth.

New York-based water restoration and protection agency Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper took to Facebook to warn those who might be trying to shirk the responsibility of caring for a goldfish that flushing the fish down the toilet is not the best method.

This presumably former tiny goldfish grew to a whopping 14 inches.

Because goldfish don't stay their 1-inch length when spit out into the wild and can survive year-round, they can be very harmful to the local environment. The estimated tens of millions of goldfish in the Great Lakes deplete resources native fish need to survive.

If you've got an unwanted fish on your hands, Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper says to place a call to the pet store instead of heading to the bathroom to keep waterways clear of the the invasive species.

Plus, you can pledge to leave goldfish in the fish bowl and not the toilet bowl by joining the agency's "Responsible Flushing Society" and get a sticker, complete with a giant goldfish.

Keep the giant goldfish to the children's books. That's where they belong.